Anchor for ships or the like



D. F. LUCKENG ANCHOR FOR SHIPS OR THE LIKE I Filed Jan. 4, 1935 mg i. Fig. 2%.

HTTOR/VEW Patented Dec. 28, 1937 illlED STATES Application January 4, 1935, Serial No. 448

In Great Britain January 5, 193 1 2 Claims.

This invention relates to anchors for ships, boats, marine aircraft or the like. The invention has among its objects to provide an anchor which will have merit in respect of its holding qualities, having regard to its size and weight; which will be cheap toproduce; which will be readily stowable and can be drawn up snugly into a hawse pipe for stowage; and which will not readily be tripped by an overriding cable.

According to the invention broadly stated, an anchor has a shank to which a cable, chain, or equivalent may be attached in any convenient manner at one end, and at or towards the other end there are provided three fiukes, one carried on an arm which lies substantially in a plane extending from and containing the shank, whilst the other two are carried on substantially aligned arms lying perpendicular to the plane of the first. For convenience, the first referred to fluke is regarded as the main fluke, and the other two as auxiliary fiukes. A further feature of the invention is the manufacture of such an anchor so that in dragging, that is to say when the anchor is sliding over the ground, it will be unstable when the main fluke is uppermost; this is achieved by suitably disposing and proportioning the three fiukes, instability in the said attitude being enhanced by the relative weights of the three fluke's. Other features of the invention will be ascertained more clearly from the following description with the aidof the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Figure l is an elevation looking along the plane of the main fluke arm;

Figure 2 is a side elevation perpendicular thereto, and

Figure 3 is a bottom plan;

Figure 4 represents diagrammatically a sequence of positions which the illustrated anchor will take during dragg ng, showing'the manner L in which the main embedded.

In the illustrated anchor there is a shank 1 formed of a bar of preferably rectangular section, which at its upper end is provided with an 5 eye at 2 for the engagement of a ring shackle or the like, which is of course the end of the fluke will engage or become 7 ably concave cylindricaliy and its face, that is to say its holding face, is directed towards the shank l and lies virtually in a plane acutely inclined to the line of the shank. A suitable angle of inclination is but this is of course not a critical or limiting figure. Also secured to the shank l at the crown are two substantially aligned fluke arms t and l, which are substantially at right angles to the arm 3 and to the shank i, so that they lie in'a plane substantially perpendicular to that occupied by the arm 3 and shank l. The arms 3, l, carry at their outer ends auxiliary fluke. palms 3 and 9, which are shaped in profile somewhat similarly tothepart l.- These palms 8, 9, are inclined to the shank preferably at the same or a somewhat larger angle than is the palm 4, and their major axes may also be splayed out (as can be seen in Figures 1 and 3) at say 30 from perpendiculars to the line of the arms 6, I. The weight of the main arm 3 and fluke 4 is preferably substantially greater than the weight of an arm 6 and palm B, or I and 9.

In manufacture, the arm 3 and shank I may be formed integrally or may be built up, and the arms 6, i, may either be in the form of a rod passed through and secured in a transverse hole in the crown of the shank l, or they may be secured by welding or by any other suitable means. If it be desired, for example, to provide for easy packing for transport, each arm may have a flanged inner end adapted to be secured to the shank by bolts passing therethrough. In any event the whole construction, when complete, is a rigid one. The palms of the flukes may either be formed integrally or attached by welding or similar process. Metals may be used for the various parts which will produce electrolytic action, whereby easily replaceable parts may be arranged to erode or deteriorate, leaving main parts usable after suitable replacements.

Figure 4 illustrates diagrammatically the action of this anchor. After it has been dropped on the sea bed or the like, it may fall for example in position a, or in any of the shown positions. between a and e' Now if it be assumed that a inadequate holding, dragging instability results because with practical certainty one or other of the auxiliary flukes 8 or 9 will start to dig in before the alternative fluke, and as soon as digging-in starts, instability results in rolling, because there are unbalanced forces on the auxiliary flukes tending to roll the anchor, owing to the inclination of the auxiliary fiukes to the di rection of dragging. This efiect has been found certain amount of dragging takes place owing to to be realized in practice when the auxiliary flukes are suitably proportioned and disposed, substantially as shown in Figures 1 to 3. To dragging instability arrived at in this way, there may be added the rolling effect of the main fluke being, so to speak, heavier than the remainder. Experiment has also shown that the angles of inclination of the palms of the auxiliary fiukes should be from about 30 toto the major axis of the shank l, and the angle of divergence or splaying of the palms 8, 9, may be about 60 from the line of the arm 3.

It will be appreciated that minor variations may be made in practice; for example the arm 3 may project from the shank l at a point a short distance from the crown end of the shank. Also the arms 6, I, need not be secured directly to the shank I, but may be attached to the arm 3 a short distance away from the crown of the anchor. It is believed that such variations, although they may have constructional advantages, may possibly detract slightly from the efficacy of the anchor. It will be observed that in any case the plane of the palms 8, 9, diverges to the opposite side of the shank l as compared with the plane of the palm 4. It is also to be appreciated that in describing this anchor as a fixed fluke anchor, it is intended to mean that the ilukes are fixed when the anchor is actually in use, although they may of course be detachable and/0r hinged for stowage or packing. This anchor is thereby difierentiated from anchors of the angularly movable fluke type. It is not intended to use any stock with this anchor.

What I claim is1 1. An anchor comprising a shank, a main fluke rigidly projecting therefrom, two auxiliary and mutually similar fiukes carried rigidly by the shank and projecting at right'angles to the main fluke, the main fluke being dissimilar from said other flukes, said flukes having palms and said main fluke having its palm inclined to the axis of the shank acutely, said auxiliary flukes having their palms both inclined away from said axis and on opposite sides from the palm of the main fluke, and means carried by the shank for permitting attachment to a line, said anchor having its center of gravity displaced from the axis of the shank and toward the main fluke.

2. An anchor comprising a shank, a main fluke rigidly projecting therefrom and having a palm, auxiliary fiukes rigidly carried by the shank and projecting oppositely at right angles to the main fluke, said auxiliary flukes being mutually similar and symmetrically disposed about a plane containing the axes of the shank and of said main fluke which is dissimilar to the auxiliary nukes, said auxiliary flukes having palms, said main fluke having its palm inclined to the axis of the shank acutely, said auxiliary flukes having their palms in a common plane inclined away from and on the opposite side of said axis from said main fluke, and means carried by the shank for permitting attachment to a line.

DAVID FREDERICK LUCKING. 

